Padilla sends Blue Jays to fifth straight home loss

Vicente Padilla tossed seven solid innings, leading the Texas
Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Halladay (2-2) was 10-0 in his last 12 starts at the Rogers
Centre entering the game and had not experienced a defeat here
since May 10, 2007. But start No. 13 brought that streak to a
screeching halt as Toronto - which has lost five straight at
home - had precious few answers for Padilla (2-1).

The Blue Jays' ace posted his second consecutive complete game
against Texas - winning Saturday in Arlington - by surrendering
11 hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

"They got the ball in the air and put it in play," Halladay
said. "You know it's tough when the other guys pitches well
like that. It's definitely frustrating but it happens, so you
gotta get it over it."

Padilla bested Halladay, allowing one run and seven hits with
three walks and two strikeouts over seven innings before
yielding to Jamey Wright to start the eighth.

"We had our chances, we had guys on, we couldn't get that one
key hit to kind of put us back in that game," Blue Jays first
baseman Lyle Overbay said. "We were right in it the whole time
and just couldn't get anything done."

Wright gave way to closer C.J. Wilson, who worked around a
one-out walk in the ninth to notch his fifth save in as many
chances.

The performance from both pitchers was especially welcome since
the teams used a combined 16 pitchers - including a team
record-tying nine by the Blue Jays - in Wednesday's 7-5,
14-inning marathon in the first game of the two-game set won by
the Rangers.

"He (Padilla) was awesome, he had really good stuff tonight,"
Rangers left fielder Frank Catalanotto said. "He went right
after the hitters and that's what I liked about him. He
challenged them right out of the gate, and we really needed that
from him tonight, especially going against Doc (Halladay)."

David Murphy's RBI double opened the scoring in the second.
Catalanotto and Gerald Laird each hit run-scoring singles in the
third and seventh innings, respectively, to increase the lead
to 3-0.

"It's one of those things where I got so face him last week and
I got to make adjustments off that," Murphy said. "He's got a
heavy sinker. ... I had one good at-bat against him last week
and the others I pulled off him a little. I'm just trying to
stay on him a little bit and go the other way, and it's just a
great night."

Toronto managed its only run off Padilla in the seventh when
David Eckstein plated Gregg Zaun with a single.

Laird answered that run in the top of the ninth with another
run-scoring single.

Ian Kinsler had three hits for the Rangers, who improved to 5-3
on the road.